Aytan Nuru gizi Ismikhanova was born on 3 September 1968 in Baku into an intellectual family. From childhood she had a great passion for music, so her parents bought her a small electric piano. When Aytan reproduced the melodies she heard with such accuracy, everyone was amazed. Since two sisters in the neighbourhood studied at the Asaf Zeynalli Music College, Aytan often visited them to listen to their playing, and upon returning home she would immediately reproduce what she had heard on her own piano. While Aytan's mother, Tamilla khanum, was receiving treatment at one of Baku's central clinics, she met our late composer Suleyman Alaskarov. When she told him about her daughter's talent, the composer wanted to meet the little girl. Aytan's mother took her daughter to Professor Suleyman Alaskarov at the Uzeyir Hajibeyov Azerbaijan State Conservatory. After listening to Aytan, the professor gave his first blessing to her, telling her mother: "Bring this girl's food and drink to the piano so that she is constantly occupied! This child has a very great future ahead of her!" From 1974 Aytan Ismikhanova began to study music seriously. She first spent a year preparing at the Asaf Zeynalli Music College, then in 1975 was admitted with excellent results to the Bulbul Special Secondary Music School. She studied at the Bulbul Special Secondary Music School from 1975 to 1986. After finishing school, Aytan Ismikhanova was admitted to the piano department of the Uzeyir Hajibeyov Azerbaijan State Conservatory with the highest score. There she developed her talent in the class of Professor Farida Guliyeva. Since Farida khanum was the own sister of Tofig Guliyev, Aytan had her listen to her own works and asked whether Tofig muallim could teach her composition. But Farida khanum said with regret: "Tofig muallim is ill and can no longer work with anyone," and took Aytan to Professor Jovdat Hajiyev, a protégé of Dmitri Shostakovich. From that year Aytan also began studying at the composition faculty. During these years Aytan created a number of works for piano, violin, clarinet and chamber orchestra, as well as trios and quartets. In 1991 Aytan Ismikhanova graduated from the Conservatory with honours and began working as a music teacher. She first worked at Music School No. 2, then at her own alma mater, the Bulbul Special Secondary Music School. During those years she arranged several of Tofig Guliyev's songs for two pianos. When her arrangement of the song "Golden Ring" for two pianos was performed at the composer's 70th anniversary, Tofig muallim personally praised Aytan and admitted that he liked the arrangement very much. Perhaps because she loved Tofig Guliyev and his songs so much, Aytan herself preferred to write songs. Thus, her first performed song was called "My Unfaithful One." That same year, under the direction of Vagif Garayzade, the first album of the group "Aypara," titled "Oriental," was released. This album included Aytan Ismikhanova's instrumental piece "Landscape." Together with the Honoured Artists of the Republic, sisters Gulyaz and Gulyanag Mammadova, Aytan Ismikhanova developed the Industrial Mugham project and arranged the seven main mughams of our national treasure in a new, modern style. Aytan Ismikhanova is the author of the first two albums of the group "Dayirman," "Az@rimeyk" and "Qurd." Among their works, the patriotic song "Either Karabakh or Death!" is a piece the composer takes particular pride in. In 2012 Aytan Ismikhanova composed music for the closing ceremony of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup held in Baku. In 2013, at the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, with the support of AtaHolding and the Peachline company, she actively participated in the restoration and colourisation of director Rza Tahmasib's 1945 film "Arshin Mal Alan," based on Uzeyir Hajibeyov's operetta of the same name. At the initiative of President Ilham Aliyev, she is the author of both the music and lyrics of the song "Let Us Know Our Country," dedicated to the educational tour campaign held under the slogan "Let Us Know Our Country." For the 2018 Junior Eurovision Song Contest, she wrote the Azerbaijani-language lyrics for the song performed by Fidan Huseynova, who represented Azerbaijan in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. In 2018 she wrote the Azerbaijani-language lyrics for the song "Zhivi, rodnoy Azerbaijan" by the well-known singer Emin Agalarov. On 30 June 2019, at the Heydar Aliyev Centre, at the opening ceremony of the 43rd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, she was the author of the lyrics of the song "Azerbaijan" performed by the world-renowned musician Sami Yusuf.
